Monday, July 22, 2013

I have wrestled about writing this post for several days
now; prayed about it, thought about it, mulled over in my mind what I would say
and how I would say it. Even now, I’m not anticipating that the words will come
easy. And why has writing this post caused me such turmoil? Because I want to
make sure that my motives are pure. It would be very easy to write this while
standing on my soapbox because the very subject matter is very near and dear to
my heart. However, I wanted to make sure that I was motivated by a love for my
sisters in Christ before I wrote a word. I want this post to be an
encouragement for you to grow in Christ.So, with that in mind…..

I don’t spend a lot of time doing the “social networking”
thing. (Obviously I would have a lot more blog posts if I did…). But there are
2 main blogs that I follow. One of them only posts a couple of times a month,
the other posts several times a week, but it takes a minimal amount of time to
scan through the information and get on with my day. Anyway, one of the
bloggers posted an entry about having a quiet time during this busy,
child-rearing time of our lives. By the end of the post, the author had
validated about every excuse possible to let busy moms “off the hook” from
spending meaningful, intentional time with the Lord and not even feel guilty
about it. My take home message was that if I said a quick prayer here and there
throughout my day, that was OK because eventually there will be a season where
a busy mom would have more time to sit down with the Lord. I read the first
several comments on the post and ALL of them were full of thankfulness for the
release of the “guilt” they felt for not getting in the quality time with God
on a regular basis.At that point, I
thought to myself, “Am I the only one who disagrees with this post???”So I read it to my husband to get his
opinion. He said, “Well, it sounds good, but it isn’t biblical.”So, all that being said, the blogger did post
another entry with some corrections to the previous post.I’m not posting a link to the blog, because
my intention is not to criticize the author at all. But the subject matter in
question is the springboard to this subject which I am passionate about.

A couple more disclaimers before I get started. I am not
some well-known blogger. Most people that read my blog are friends and family
whom I know personally and would consider friends.In Proverbs 27:6 we are told: Faithful are
the wounds of a friend; profuse and the kisses of an enemy.We all know that only a true friend is going
to speak the truth even if it is going to hurt. The key is to “speak the truth
in love” (Eph. 4:15). That being said, I hope these words will be helpful in
carving out time in your day with the Lord. And if you are struggling in this
area, remember: “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he
will not quench” (Matt. 12:20). Although scripture will not “tickle our ears”
(2 Tim. 4:3) on this issue, it will provide a light to the path we should be
striving towards.None of us are perfect
and even the most devoted disciple will have hills and valleys in his/her walk,
but the general picture of our lives should be a whole hearted devotion to the
Lord, loving Him with our WHOLE heart, soul, mind, and strength. That kind of
devotion requires spending intimate time with Him.

So how do you make a quiet time when there is NO QUIET and
there is NO TIME? Let me first say that we have all been given the same 24
hours in each day. People who have a very intimate relationship with the Lord
do not have one second more in their day than people who squeeze in an
occasional prayer before a meal.So,
there IS time, the better question is “how are you spending your time?” A
relationship with the Lord will not come naturally. In fact, until the Spirit
causes us to be born again (John 3) our hearts will not be bent towards Him at
all. (We may think that we are seeking
him by being a “good” person and being “religious”… but outward “motions” in
the absence ofinner change are futile.
We must be born again).But even after
we are born again and have received a new heart (Ez. 36:26), many factors work
against us conforming to the image of Christ: our sin nature, Satan, our
culture, etc…Trying to cultivate
intimacy with Him without being purposeful is as fruitless as trying to run a
marathon without intentionally making time to train. It isn’t going to happen.
You will not be walking down the road one day and suddenly trip and fall into a
deep, personal, growing relationship with your creator.Hudson Taylor once said (in effect) that
Satan will always find something to distract you with, even if it is just
adjusting the window blind. Oh how many
times I have sat down to be with the Lord and immediately I’m distracted by the
dust I see on the furniture around me! Hudson Taylor’s quote pops in my head
quite often and I give myself permission to get to the dusting later!

So first of all, you need to realize that you do have time.
We make time for what is important to us. You take time to eat, drink, and
sleep so how much more important than these is time with the Lord? Most of us
won’t have to cut back on those basic items in order to find time with God
(although some may have to). The majority in our culture are filling their days
with many things that although may be “good” things (or maybe not), they aren’t
the “best” things. We commonly substitute “good” things in place of God’s best
for our lives. Take some time to write out (or at least think about) what your
days are being filled with and start cutting out those things that aren’t
necessary. Some obvious things that come to mind are: TV/movies,
internet/email, too many outside activities that keep you away from home several
times/week, scrapbooking, too much exercise, video games, facebook,
puzzles/games/smart phone apps, talking on the phone,texting, etc…Not that any of these things in and of themselves are inherently bad,
but if you are finding time for them and not finding time for God, something
needs to be cut back.Even serving and
ministry areas need to be evaluated in light of your own personal time with
God. Just look at the example of Mary and Martha. Martha was busy serving and
was irritated at her sister because Mary chose to sit at our Lord’s feet. Mary
was commended by Jesus for choosing the better option. If we aren’t getting our
own time at the feet of the Lord, we are serving in vain.If you are a wife and a mom, your first area
of service is to your husband and children (Titus 2:3-5). We are to bring up
our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). How can
we do that if we do not have a grasp on the discipline and instruction of the
Lord ourselves? You can not give what you do not have. You can not teach your
child about being a disciple if you aren’t discipled by the Lord yourself. The
great commission (Matthew 28:18) is to go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. If you are a parent, this begins at home with teaching your
children. Again, if you do not have a grasp on the teachings of Christ and the
scriptures, how can you teach your children? No, you do not need a seminary
degree to learn the scriptures. You just need the Holy Spirit to guide you
through them, teaching you bit by bit each day (Isa. 28:10 – For it is precept upon precept, precept upon
precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little).
God equips you to carry out His commands. Matt. 6:33 says: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and ALL THESE
THINGS will be added unto you. Don’t feel that the task is impossible. God
will guide you and equip you. But you need to SEEK HIM FIRST.

I personally believe that your quiet time needs to happen
when you first wake up. We are to give the Lord the first fruits of our
labors/money and I think that you have a “first fruits” of your time as well.
If you have early-rising itty-bitties, you may need to get up 30 minutes
earlier. If a child wakes up with you, (you know this will certainly happen)…
have a game plan. They can snuggle on your lap and you can pray out loud with
them. Read your Bible reading to them. Let them be a part of your confession
and thanksgiving time. Another option would be to have a “prayer closet” which
is at a minimal distance from your bed enabling you not to disturb any sleepers
as you tippy toe to your meeting with the Lord.Sometimes when I get interrupted in the morning, I continue my study
during nap time, play time, (or the older children’s quiet time).Sometimes my study has to continue after the
kids have gone to bed. But, my goal is to have 30-60 minutes before anyone else
is awake. If it doesn’t happen, then I go to “plan B”, and if that doesn’t
happen then “plan C” is enacted. But NOT having a quiet time is an immoveable
pillar (even if it means I lose sleep or a meal).If you keep quiet time as “optional”, you
will opt-out of it more often than not. That is how Satan works. (And there
will be a “good excuse” for not having it every time…) Remember, that those
days in which we are too busy for God are the days when we most need to get
quiet before Him.

There will always be an excuse as to why you can’t have a
good, consistent quiet time during a given season of life. Don’t look for an
excuse as to why it won’t work for you. Instead, look for a way to make it
work. Pray that God would show you how to have time with Him. Ask Him to give
you wisdom in overcoming the obstacles (children???) and interruptions.Ask Him to give you a game plan (A, B, and C)
so that you can get intimate time with Him.He will be faithful in answering your prayer (James 1:5-8) Ask your husband
to pray about it too. Better yet, ask him to lead you in this area. Ask him to
evaluate your schedule with you to see what needs to be cut out or rearranged.
You will soon find that your time with your creator is the most blessed part of
your day!

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About Us

We are first followers of Christ, aiming to bring Him glory in all that we do. The Lord has blessed us with 6 wonderful children and we take our responsibility as parents to "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" very seriously. We do not do it perfectly and we have to lean on the Lord each day for wisdom. We do believe that the scriptures are sufficient in gaining wisdom and knowledge throughout every walk of life.

We appreciate all of the mentors the Lord has placed in our lives. I'm hoping that through this blog we can encourage others and be encouraged as well.